No Matter What Comes By
by OnyxKatana
Summary: A short piece on the Airbender and his natural ability to love. Oneshot. KataangWeek2017 Day 6: Unconditional.


The world knew him by many names. Through his multiple lives he had taken on many personas. Roku, Kyoshi, Kuruk, Yangchen and others. Time would see to it that he would take many more. However, the one that he would become most famous by was The Avatar. The one to end the Hundred Year Reign of the Fire Nation. The one who toppled Fire Lord Ozai and freed the Four Nations from his tyranny. The one who restored the balance. The one who saved the world. The Boy in the Iceberg. The Last Airbender. And many more.

However ,there was a small group of people who knew him merely as Aang.

Aang. The hyperactive boy with the sun in his smile and stars in his eyes. The boy who was as light-hearted as the winds he commanded, while retaining their ability to wreak destruction when angered. There were many things that defined him, but if you asked anyone to name one thing about him that struck them the most, they would tell you of his ability to love.

* * *

The first time Sokka met the young Airbender was when they rescued him from the iceberg. They had no idea that he was the Avatar, the very same one that the Fire Nation was on a manhunt for. All that Sokka could see was the cheerful boy who was extremely excited at the prospect of penguin sledding. And his affection for the mammoth ball of fuzz that was Appa, the flying bison. Sokka looked on as Aang interacted with the villagers, instantly making his way into their hearts. It was all fun and cheer until the arrival of Prince Zuko and the Fire Nation soldiers. It was in this battle that Sokka saw a side of Aang that was always hidden, and yet bared for the world to see. Before his eyes, the boy transformed into a warrior, fighting to defend people he didn't know from an enemy he didn't understand . Simply because they were the friends and family of two people he had just met.

Because Aang loved unconditionally.

* * *

If you asked Toph, she would tell you that "Twinkletoes" was a hopeless case. The boy had his head in the clouds, was flighty and had a terrible attention span. However, if you looked beyond her acerbic words, there was an underlying tinge of fondness and respect. She would tell you that there was no stopping him once he put his mind to something. She would tell you about his unwavering loyalty and his heart of gold. And there was no way that she would let you leave without regaling you with the funniest and most amusing tales of Aang and his goof-ups. She would poke fun at his evident infatuation, bordering on puppy love, with the waterbender. And then, her mood would suddenly darken, her words taking on a gloomy edge, as she spoke of the time when she saw Aang almost die after being electrocuted, because he was torn between his duty and his love.

Because Twinkletoes, that idiot, loved unconditionally.

* * *

Zuko had no idea how he ended up there. Alright, he understood "how", but it was beyond his comprehension how destiny had played out to land him in his current situation. It was supposed to be a normal evening, with everyone acting as normal people who had gone to watch a play. Although, seeing as it was the Ember Island Players, he really shouldn't have been expecting "normal". They had a reputation of screwing things up. So far, The Boy In The Iceberg had been horrible, completely inaccurate and incredibly insulting to his pride. He had been forced to sit through the travesty that unfolded onstage and sank lower and lower into his seat with embarrassment, as he relived some rather humiliating moments of his life. Right when he thought it couldn't get any worse, there came the scene set in the Crystal Catacombs of Ba Sing Se. He shared an awkward glance with Katara, as the actors on stage exaggerated their nonexistent romance. As he tried to ignore the play, he became aware of someone glaring at him. By the dragons, this was not what he signed up for when he joined the Avatar! He could almost feel Aang boring a hole into him with the intensity of his glare. To be honest, he felt bad for the younger boy. It was obvious to anyone who looked that Aang had it bad for Katara. While Katara didn't expressly return his affections, Zuko knew that she had a soft spot for the Airbender too. Zuko didn't blame Aang for being insecure. The boy had the fate of the world resting on his shoulders, but in the end, he was human too. And Zuko knew, that even if Katara were to never return Aang's feelings, his love for her would never wane. All that Aang wanted was to be loved, but he would never openly demand it.

Because Aang loved unconditionally.

* * *

She smiled to herself as she saw two of her dearest friends hug each other, while the crowd cheered them on. The Avatar and the Fire Lord, allied once again. The world was back to how it should have been. The final battle had drained them all, from Azula's insanity to Ozai's ruthlessness. As she fought, her mind had worried for Aang. She had seen him transform from a sweet little boy in an unfamiliar world to a young man who knew what had to be done to fulfil his destiny. But, she worried about him all the same, because she knew that taking Ozai's life would destroy him from within. However, everything had worked out for the best when Aang had energybent and removed Ozai's firebending, rendering him harmless. She saw Aang's eyes lock with her own for a second, and she warmly smiled at him.

It was later that she caught a glance of two figures on the balcony. The Airbender and the Waterbender, locked away in their own world. She knew that theirs was a love that had braved wars, and would manage to stay strong, no matter what came their way.

Because Aang and Katara loved each other unconditionally.

* * *

 **A.N. Hello everyone! It's been a long time since I've been here! I've missed you guys! :')**

 **This is a piece for Kataang Week 2017, Day 6: Unconditional.**

 **This one's dedicated to you, Noend. It's inspired by his music composition called Kataang, on YouTube, under his channel Noend. Or you can look for it on Tumblr (noendash) Please do go and check it out!**

 **Favourite, follow and review! I hope you like it, and criticism is welcome!**

 **OnyxKatana :)**


End file.
